As far as orientation goes, Pisa is highly unlikely to become an issue even for newcomers. This Italian city is located on the northwestern part of the peninsula, more precisely in western Tuscany, on the right back of River Arno which, for that matter, disembogues into the Ligurian Sea in the Province of Pisa. The historic benefits of Pisa’s geographical location are well ascertained, and its relative proximity to other hotspots in Tuscany, such as Florence or Lucca, not to mention the northerner Genoa render Pisa as a tourist destination worth visiting not only for its inherent assets, but also for its being an excellent starting point for exploring the entire Tuscan region.

In regard of the inner lay-out of the city, Pisa is far from being a complicated city, its center being rather compact and easy to search out given the solid road infrastructure and the proficient public transportation system in Pisa. The main entrance point in Pisa is represented by the Pisa Galileo Galilei Airport, located only 1 kilometer southwards from the center of the city, a distance easily coverable by the regional busses which, for that matter, service more than the tourist platform of Pisa, since they provide access and transportation to other cities, such as Florence, Siena, Lucca, Livorno and Viareggio. Besides busses, trains also are available for covering the distance between the airport and the center of Pisa, though tourists may always resort to taxis or car hire operators.

What tourists should keep in mind with respect to the inner lay-out out Pisa is that the city is geographically and administratively divided into two major parts according to the way River Arno splits horizontally the topography of Pisa. Thus, one can speak either of Tramontana (north of River Arno) or of Mezzogiorno (south of River Arno). Tramontana features two main districts, namely, the northeastern San Francesco and the northwestern Santa Maria – which is ascertained to amass the largest amount of tourist objectives – whereas San Martino and San Antonio stand out as the main southeastern and southwestern districts, respectively, in Mezzogiorno.

As to the tourist areas of Pisa, the Field of Miracles (Campo dei Miracoli, also referred to as Piazza del Duomo) is a genuine hub of historic, architectural, religious and cultural landmarks, comprising not only the world famed Tower of Pissa, but some 20 more other objectives unjustifiably overshadowed by the Leaning Tower. Again on the northern side of Pisa there is the so called Piazza Garibaldi which exceeds the Piazza del Duomo by its social significance. Via Santa Maria and the so-called Borgo Stretto are some of the main thoroughfares in Pisa which are also worth exploring since Pisa comes down to more than its Field of Miracles.

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